Process of treating combustible material



y R. c. NEWHOUSE PROCESS OF TREATING COMBUSTIBLB MATERIAL Filed April 17, 1922 Patented May" 10, 1927.

UNITED O. NEWHOUSE, WAUWATOSA, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 ALLIS-CHALMEBS I LNUIACTUBING COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION 01' DELAWARE This invention relates in general to improvements in the art of handling and of conditioning materials, and relates more specifically to an improvedprocess of'comb minuting, transportin drying and otherwise treating combusti le substances such as pulverized coal.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient process of conditionin 1 0 combustible substances. Another object othe invention is to provide a process of ,drying combustible materials without danger of explosion. Another object of the invention is to provide a process of safely l comminuting combustible material. A further objectof the invention is to provide a rocess of removing combustible material rom a comminuting device and for safely transporting such material. Still another object of the invention is to provide a process of automatically conditioning and delivering pulverulent fuel such as coal to a combustion chamber. These and other objects and advantages of thepresent invention will he apparent fromthe accompanying specification. v

A clear conception of the several steps of the-novel process and of one embodiment of apparatus for commercially exploitin the '30 same, may be had by referring to the rawing accompanying and forming part of this specification, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is as'omewhat diagrammatic part" sectional side view of a fuel conditioning and utilizing installation.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section through a material reducing or *comminuting mill adapted] for exploitation of the improved rocess. I I a The uel conditioning and utilizing installation shown in the drawin comprises generally comminuting means i or reducing the fuel to pulverulent condition, means for treating the pulverized fuel to condition the fuel for utillzation in a combustion chamber, fuel transporting means, and a combined combustion chamber and heat absorbing device. p

The specific reducing means herein illi1strated, comprises-a rotarycomminuting mill 2. forming a confined chamber or space within which a plurality of freely tumbling com- PROCESS OF TREATING CCHBUS'IIBLE KATEBIlAL.

Application filed April 17, 1922. Serial No. 554,285.

minuting bodies 14 such as rods, or balls, are located. The interior of the mill 2 may be provided with liners 15 formed to. automatically .elevate and precipitate the fine material 16 through the free space within the mill during rotation thereof. The mill 2 is provided with inlet and discharge passages located within end su ports formed as hollow trunnions 12, 13, the feed or inlet trunnion 12 communicating with the gas supply conduit 8 and with a coarse material supply bin 10, and the discharge trunnion 13 communicating with a comminutedmaterial and gas mixture conductingpipe 11.

The delivery end of the pipe 11 COIl'lIlllllll-n cates with a tangential pulverized material and gas mixture inlet 17 leading into a centrifugal or cyclone separator 3 which is adapted to prelimi-nari tively coarser particles of reduced material from the dust and gas. The gas and dust mixture discharge pipe 18 connects the upper central portion of the separator 3 with the dust laden gas inlet. of" a fabric bag type of dust collector 4, of the type illustrated in U. S. Patent 1,168,543, granted January. 18, 1916, having a purified gas discharge which communicates with the suction fan 22. The solids delivery pipe 19 of-the separator 3 and the dust discharge hopper 21. of the dust collector 4, communicate with a conveyor trough having therein a continuously operable helical or screw conveyor 20. The delivery end of the screw conveyor 20 communicates with a fuel hopper or bin 23 the lower extremity of which communicates with a conve or conduit having therein a continuousy operable helical or screw conveyor 24. The dis- .charge of the screw conveyor 24; is directed toward the fuel injection pipe 27 in front of the air injection nozzle 26. -A pressure blower 25 communicates with the injection nozzle 26 and is' adapted to force air and pulverized material through the injection pipe 27 into the combustion chamber 5. The combustion chamber 5 may be provided with additional air inlet openings 28', and communicates with a steam boiler heating chamber 6 or other heat absorbing device.

The boiler heating chamber 6 has communication witha stack 7 through which the waste gases of combustion may be discharged. A gas return pipe 8 connects the y separate the rela' liners shower the fine' material the free space within the mill 2-as indicated tlirou h the stack 7 with the inlet. trunnion 12 of the comminuting mill 2, this pipe 8 preferably being provided with a flow control valve and with a fresh air inlet valve 9L During normal operation of the installation and commercial exploitation of the novel process, the raw material ordinarily relatively coarse coal, is being delivered from the supply bin 10 to the comminuting mill 2 through the inlet trunnion 12, and pulverized fuel is being burned in the presence of air, in the combustion chamber 5. The freely-tumbling comminuting bodies 14 in the. mill Qreduce the coarse fuel and the 16 through in Fig. 2. Due to operation of-the suction fan 22, gaseous products of combustion and j possibly a small amount of air are drawn interior of the 'mill 2. The heate gases flowing through thecomminuting chamber at relatively high velocity,

the tangential inlet 17.

cause the pulverulent materiallti to intermingle therewith and the mixture of as and suspended solids passes through the pipe 11 and into the cyclone separator 3 through In the separator 3 t e coarser particles are ,removed from the mixture and are delivered directly into the to the dust remover or path of the Screw conveyor 20. while the remaining dust and gas mixture is delivered collector 4. In the dust collector 4 the dust is removed and deliver-ed directly to the while the gases are discharged thrdugh the suction fan 22. The screw conveyor 20 delivers all of thepulverulent fuel removed b the separator 3 and collector 4to the fuel bin 23, which in turn delivers a continuous stream of the powdered coal into the path of the air jet delivered from nozzle 26, through the screw conveyor 24. The mixture of fuel and air produce in the injection pipe 27 is delivered burned. The hot products of combustion generated in the combustion chamber 5 pass through the steamboiler heating chamber 6, wherein considerable of the heat is absorbed. The spent gases of combustion are discharged through'the stack 7 in relatively hot condition, a portion of these spent gases being withdrawn through the pipe 8 and delivered to the mill 2.

It will be obvious that the rocess is both automatic and continuous. The hot gases of combustion delivered-to thecomminuting mill 2 through the pi e 8, serve to simulta neously transport an dry the fine material y employing gases of combustion or other gas containing relatively small quantities of'uncombined oxygen, dan er of explosions in the system, is entirely e.iminated. The temperature of the gas admitted to the ess are generallyapplicable to the treatment screw conveyor 20 the injection as a continuous stream into the combustion chamber 5, 'where1n 1tis automatically ignlted and a turning non-combustible gas mill 2 may be regulated by controlling the admission of air through the valve 9. The cyclone separator 3 and dust collector 4 serve to effectively remove the fine fuel from the transporting and drying as, and the screw conveyors 20, 24 effective y control the delivery of fuel to the combustion chamber 5. It will also be obvious that by employing only a gas current to deliver comminuteu material from the mill 2, undesirably coarse particles of material cannot be discharged.

hile the process has been specifically described as applied to the treatment of coal, it will be obvious .that the steps of the so of many other substances.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit the invention to thefexact details of construction and operation of the apparatus shown, nor to the exact steps of the process, for obvious modifications within the sco of the claims, may bccurto persons skilled in the art.

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The recess of treating and utilizing combustib e material, which comprises, comminuting the material within a confined zone, passin a blast of non-combustible throu h sai ,zone to remove fine mater al there rom, separating the removed material from the delivering the removed material to a fited zone, burning the'material in said heated zone, and returning ,noncombustible gusto said comminuting zone to 1 remove subsequent material therefrom.

2. The process of treating anti utilizing combustib e material, which comprises, comminuting 'the material within a confined zone, passin gaseous products of 106 combustion t rough said zone to remove fine, material therefrom, separating the removed material from said products of combustion, delivering the removed material to a heated zone, burning the material .in said heated 11 zone, and returning products of combustion from said heated zone to said .comminuting gone to remove subsequent material there- 3. The recess of treatin combustib e material, whicE comprises, commmuting and showering the material withblast of non-combustible gas contaimng insuflicient quantities of uncombined oxygen to support combustion, separating the removed material from the as, delivering the removed material to a eated zone, burning the material in said zone, and reto said commmuting zone to remove subsequent ma- .terial therefrom.

e 1process of treating and utilizing combustib e material, which comprises, comand of utilizing 11s I minuting and showering the material within a confined zone, removing floating material only from said zone by passing therethrongh a blast of gaseous products of com- 5 bustion containing insufiioient uantities of uncombined oxygen to support u'rther combustion, separating the removed material from said products of combustion, deliversaid heated zone to said comminuting zone 7 to remove subsequentmaterial therefrom.

In testimony whereof, the signature of the inventor is aflixedhereto.

RAY C. NEWHOUSE. 

